Chapter 40 — Pursuit
Black Spirit Valley was much deeper and wider than I had expected.
As we moved further into the valley, the cliffs on both sides rose higher and higher, almost blocking the sky. Even though it was midday, the surroundings looked dark.
Jin Gwang-ung led the way, and I along with the other search party members quietly followed behind him.
Jin Gwang-ung, who had been advancing steadily, suddenly stopped.
Then he spoke in a cautious voice.
“This is the area where contact with the scouting team and investigation team was lost.”
At his words, tension filled the faces of the search party members.
He continued in a low voice.
“From now on, we will search this area thoroughly. If you see anything suspicious or unusual, report it to me immediately.”
“Yes.”
“Understood.”
Jin Gwang-ung glanced at us once more, then carefully moved forward again.
***
Right after entering Black Spirit Valley, we began the search operation.
At first, all members moved together.
But after a while, we judged that there were no immediate dangers in the surroundings.
We divided into three groups.
Jin Gwang-ung alone, me with Myeong-jeon, and Hyun-kwon with Yu Seol-ah.
We would search our assigned areas in different directions and regroup at the prearranged spot after two hours.
I devoted myself fully to the search.
I checked every rock, patch of dirt, tree root, and even pieces of wood washed up by the water.
Before long, the promised two hours had passed, and Myeong-jeon and I returned to the meeting point.
Jin Gwang-ung was already waiting there.
Hyun-kwon and Yu Seol-ah had not yet arrived.
As soon as he saw us, Jin Gwang-ung asked.
“How did it go?”
I answered immediately.
“There were no particularly suspicious traces. We couldn’t find any signs of combat. Not even a single broken branch.”
Myeong-jeon added.
“That’s right. We couldn’t find any traces of the scouting team or investigation team at all.”
Jin Gwang-ung frowned and muttered to himself.
“Hmm, strange… There should have been at least some signs of battle. It’s too clean. This situation doesn’t make sense at all.”
I thought the same.
If there had been a battle between the Heavenly Demon Cult and the scouting team, at least one corpse should have been found by now.
But there were no traces of combat anywhere.
Moreover, the sun was slowly setting.
It was becoming difficult to continue the search any longer.
It was then.
Hyun-kwon and Yu Seol-ah, who had been searching downstream, were returning.
As soon as they arrived, without even catching their breath, they spoke.
“Elder! We… think we found something.”
“Found something? What exactly?”
At Jin Gwang-ung’s question, Hyun-kwon answered in a trembling voice.
“…We think we found traces of the Heavenly Demon Cult!”
***
We immediately hurried after Hyun-kwon and Yu Seol-ah.
The narrow path descending into the valley felt even more ominous.
The sky had darkened, and the sun was barely visible.
About half an hour passed.
Hyun-kwon, who had been running ahead, stopped his movement technique and carefully scanned the surroundings.
A moment later, he raised his hand toward a certain spot.
“Look at this.”
What he pointed to was a small rocky ledge slightly raised from the ground nearby.
But it was no ordinary rocky ledge.
In the middle of the rock, a thick, dark red dried handprint of blood was clearly visible.
Blood had flowed down between the palm and fingers, leaving long stains on the rock’s surface.
“Something definitely happened here. The Heavenly Demon Cult bastards must have attacked our Kunlun disciples…….”
Hyun-kwon said through gritted teeth.
Jin Gwang-ung did not respond to his words. He quietly stood in front of the rock.
He stared at the bloodstains with a hardened expression.
It looked as if he was recalling the horrific memories from ten years ago.
“So… it really is the Heavenly Demon Cult.”
Jin Gwang-ung muttered in a low voice.
The others reacted with shocked voices.
“It really is the work of the Heavenly Demon Cult?”
“Then… does that mean all our sect members are dead…….”
Jin Gwang-ung turned his head toward us.
“I will check this place first.”
“Elder Gwang-ung? What do you mean by…….”
“You four stay right here and wait for me. I will check inside the valley myself. Understood?”
Leaving those words behind, Jin Gwang-ung immediately activated his movement technique and headed deeper into the valley.
Once he disappeared, silence returned to the surroundings.
After a brief pause, Myeong-jeon spoke.
“Should we really just wait here for Elder Gwang-ung to come back?”
Hyun-kwon answered.
“For now, we should follow orders.”
“Still… it’s a bit scary without Elder Gwang-ung. What if the Heavenly Demon Cult attacks us right now…….”
Seeing Myeong-jeon looking frightened, Yu Seol-ah shook her head.
“Why are you so scared? Nothing has actually happened yet. We searched the area thoroughly earlier. There are no Heavenly Demon Cult members nearby, so don’t worry.”
Only then did Myeong-jeon’s face brighten a little.
“Y-yeah, that’s true. Haha… ha.”
Thanks to Yu Seol-ah’s words, the atmosphere lightened slightly.
However, an undeniable tension still remained on everyone’s faces.
I walked over to the spot where Jin Gwang-ung had stood.
In front of the rocky ledge with the bloodstain.
‘So this is where they were attacked by the Heavenly Demon Cult…….’
Red blood droplets were scattered all around the handprint.
It looked so vivid, as if the victim had just touched it moments ago.
I lowered my body and placed my hand on the rock to examine it more closely.
It was then.
‘…!’
Below the area where the blood had splattered, something was carved between the stone grains.
A single long, thin line.
Next to it was a short scratch that bent slightly inward.
It was only about half the length of a fingernail.
So small and naturally looking that one would miss it unless paying close attention.
But.
Those marks were definitely not natural.
They were engraved with such precision that they could be mistaken for natural marks.
I knew exactly what those marks were.
They were something I could never forget.
‘As I suspected… It’s definitely a Shadow Corps mark.’
***
Suddenly, memories from my previous life as a test subject flashed through my mind.
Dark corridors, endless underground prison cells.
Whenever a new test subject was kidnapped and thrown into a cell from outside, or right before a test subject was moved somewhere else.
A unique mark was always carved on the wall next to the prison door.
A single long, thin line meant ‘target secured.’
If a short scratch was added next to that line, it meant ‘transport pending.’
The test subjects were treated like livestock.
A miserable life where they had to wait their turn, not knowing when they would be slaughtered.
…And now.
The mark carved beneath the rock perfectly overlapped with those memories.
‘Why is there a Shadow Corps mark here?’
Could the disappearance of the scouting team and investigation team be the work of the Shadow Corps rather than the Heavenly Demon Cult?
My mind grew complicated.
But I couldn’t dwell on it for long.
‘If that mark really belongs to the Shadow Corps… then our disciples’ lives are in danger.’
The marks left by the Shadow Corps kidnapping teams followed specific rules, as I had mentioned earlier.
The first mark meant target secured.
The moment the second mark was added, it meant transport pending.
Once the secured target was fully transported, all the marks would be erased.
‘The second mark remaining means… there’s a waiting point not far from here.’
It could be a positive sign, but in another sense, it meant there wasn’t much time left.
It meant they would soon be moved to another location.
If things continued like this, the scouting team and investigation team would be relocated somewhere else soon.
And once moved, there would be no way left to find the missing people.
I bit my lip.
‘…Should I just pretend I didn’t see it?’
The Kunlun Sect currently believed the incident was caused by the Heavenly Demon Cult.
If left alone a little longer, the conclusion that ‘the missing were attacked by the Heavenly Demon Cult’ would be reached and the case would be closed.
Then I would be safe.
There was no need for me to step forward and take on the risk.
But.
Suddenly, the image of Jin Gwang-ung’s back as he disappeared into Black Spirit Valley earlier came to mind.
The old master who had once personally collected the corpses of his disciples scattered across this valley.
His shoulders, carrying that memory, yet still stepping forward for Kunlun.
‘…Are you going to let them lose more people again?’
A strange heat burned in the center of my chest.
And there was one more thing.
‘Why is there a Shadow Corps mark here?’
No matter how urgent it was to secure test subjects, this didn’t make sense.
Why would they target Kunlun disciples in Black Spirit Valley, of all places — right on the border with the Heavenly Demon Cult?
‘It might not be a simple kidnapping.’
A dark premonition told me that I had to confirm the current situation.
I reached my hand toward the ground beneath the rock with the bloodstain.
The moment my fingertips brushed the dirt, a familiar texture mixed in.
A foreign sensation mixed with the dust.
‘This texture… as expected.’
I carefully rubbed the powder on my fingertips.
‘It’s Sedation Powder.’
The powder mainly used by Shadow Corps kidnapping teams.
To ordinary people it looked like ordinary dust, but inhaling a certain amount would immediately put them into a half-conscious state.
Because I had smelled it countless times during my test subject days, I could never forget its scent and texture.
And Sedation Powder did not linger long in the air.
‘This… was used very recently.’
That meant the missing people were still inside this valley.
If we waited any longer, this valley would be completely swallowed by darkness.
The traces of Sedation Powder would also be blown away by the wind and disappear soon.
‘We have to move right now. Only then can we save the missing.’
I stood up, turned around, and said.
“I think I can find where the missing people are.”
The eyes of the search party members all turned to me at once.
“What? What do you mean?”
Hyun-kwon asked with a startled face.
Yu Seol-ah followed up.
“Really? Then when Elder Gwang-ung returns, we should go together—”
“No. There’s no time. We have to move now.”
I cut off Yu Seol-ah and continued.
“If we delay any longer, we will never be able to find the missing.”
“…W-what do you mean?”
“I’ll move first. When First Generation Elder Gwang-ung returns, tell him to follow me right away.”
I took out a small pouch from behind my waist.
Night Glow Powder.
A powder that gave off a faint glow when it caught moonlight.
It was an item provided for this search operation.
“Then, I’m counting on you.”
Without saying anything more, I launched my body forward using movement technique.
I ran alone through the valley, which was gradually being swallowed by darkness.
‘I have to hurry.’
The deepening darkness of the valley quietly, yet sharply, opened up before me.